Desert Dome: 360-Degree Home on a (Dormant) Volcano

By dornob

Somewhat sadly, this home (that sits on a volcanic cone) has sat on the market on and off for a few years now. Perhaps the price tag is putting off customers (clocking in at three quarters of a million dollars) … or maybe it is the prospect of living high up in the high desert.

360-degree views in every direction look out on the alien landscape on all sides and flat cracked sandscape below. The mid-century, sort-of-modern interior could well be the lair for some James Bond supervillian … the exterior, well, it almost looks like the tip of a missile emerging from the ground.

Sited between Los Vegas and Los Angeles on a 50-acre plot of land, the dome-shaped house rounds out the top of the site. A driveway runs past a shallow local lake, then spirals up through the dark ashen earth to reach the pinnacle.

The dome appears heavy from a distance, and might appear to look like solid concrete at a glance (though is really just a thin mud-plaster layer over the top). From the inside, wood and brick provide a softer experience for day-to-day living.

Eccentric houses can be difficult to sell – particularly in regions where property first boomed and then busted – and this is no exception. Still, if the original owners enjoyed their time living atop a miniature volcano, maybe it was a worthwhile investment in the end. (Redfin Listing)